Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 576

“So, the money problem is settled for now…

No. It’s not settled at all.

Is that really how you solve a money problem, Chairman?

Cho Kyu-min couldn’t keep up with their conversation. If money problems could be solved that easily, no one in the world would be struggling with money. Just go make it.

“Wait a minute, Chairman. I don’t think this is a problem that can be solved like this?”

“He said he’d go make it.”

“No, it’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“You don’t trust Jin-ho?”

“Seriously…

No, it’s not about trust, Chairman. It’s about what’s possible and what’s not, isn’t it?

“Chairman, just because I trust Kang Jin-ho doesn’t mean he can fly.”

“…He might be able to, though?”

“Pardon?”

“Honestly, don’t you think so?”

“…Now that you mention it, I guess so.”

In terms of difficulty, it seemed more realistic for Kang Jin-ho to fly than to make a fortune. His standards were different from ordinary people.

“He said he’d make it, so he will. Let’s talk about that later.”

“Ehh…”

Cho Kyu-min smiled brightly.

“Sure.”

A man who had run a company his whole life was putting money aside to talk about other things, and a man who had only ever made money at a pizza place was confidently saying he would earn the money to run a foundation.

At this point, this wasn’t reality, but fantasy.

‘Well, was it ever not?’

Looking back, his life had always been fantastic since Kang Jin-ho appeared. It was nonsense to talk about common sense now.

“Anyway, let’s put the money issue aside and continue.”

“You make me repeat the obvious.”

Cho Kyu-min subtly turned his head at Hwang Jung-hoo’s grumbling. If he opened his mouth at a time like this, he would only get more flak.

“Okay, fine. Let’s assume the money is settled. So, what’s the direction of this welfare you’re talking about?”

“Direction?”

Kang Jin-ho looked like he was hearing that for the first time.

“What kind of welfare foundation are you going to run? Education, medical care? Or housing? Or something else?”

“Can’t we do it all?”

“…You bunch of idiots!”

As Kang Jin-ho made an awkward face, Hwang Jung-hoo started shouting like a fish in water [meaning he was in his element].

“All talk, all talk! That mouth of yours is so good at spinning tales. What? Make sure I don’t regret it?”

“Thanks to me, you’re working so energetically. That’s why I’m essential…”

“Get lost, you con man!”

Kang Jin-ho laughed as Hwang Jung-hoo raged. It was true that things went smoothly when there was someone to take the lead.

Kang Jin-ho was the type who could pull a cart like crazy, but he wouldn’t notice if the load behind him was falling off. What Kang Jin-ho needed most was someone like Cho Kyu-min to secure the back.

And now, he was sure that one more person was needed.

‘I need someone to show me the direction.’

Simply put, Kang Jin-ho was an engine without a steering wheel. Once the direction was set, he had the power to pull a house-sized cart up a steep hill, but he was always wandering through the mountains because he didn’t know where to go.

Now, Hwang Jung-hoo was unfolding a map in front of Kang Jin-ho. A roadmap was still a map.

“In the end, it seems like you want to expand that orphanage.”

“Hmm…”

“People don’t know their own hearts. You’ve been all over the place, hospitals and all, but if that’s where your heart is, then you must care a lot about the kids.”

“I guess so.”

To be precise, it wasn’t that he cared about the children, but that he was concerned about those who couldn’t fight their fate just because they were born into difficult circumstances.

If Kang Jin-ho hadn’t met his master, he would have lived miserably in his second life as well.

People say.

Even Hwang Jung-hoo said it.

If you try hard, you can overcome it…

But Kang Jin-ho knew that there were people in the world who weren’t even given the chance to try.

“It’s similar.”

But there was no need to talk about such details.

“Then, in my opinion…”

Hwang Jung-hoo scratched his chin and said,

“It’s inefficient to expand orphanages like this. It’s hard to manage the staff, and it costs twice as much. Besides… this might be a sensitive issue, but unless you have ten bodies, you’ll eventually have to delegate full authority to the orphanage director and just visit from time to time. Can you secure more than ten people you can trust that much?”

“Hmm…”

It was an unexpected problem.

Hwang Jung-hoo’s approach was definitely different.

Was it a businessman’s mindset?

While Kang Jin-ho was thinking about how to help more people, Hwang Jung-hoo was focusing on practical issues.

“In that case, how about doing something big?”

“Big?”

“Yeah, big.”

Hwang Jung-hoo grinned.

“Let’s not do anything small and trivial. Since we’re putting my name on it and you’re going to make money… let’s just build a big orphanage.”

“…How big?”

“As big as ten orphanages combined. Let’s start by gathering about fifty kids per age group.”

“Wow, Chairman.”

Cho Kyu-min was shocked.

“Fifty per age group, even if you include high schoolers, that’s a thousand people.”

“Isn’t there about a hundred kids in one orphanage anyway?”

“W-well, yes, but…”

“Then what’s the problem? It’s simpler to have one orphanage for a thousand kids than ten orphanages for a hundred.”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

Cho Kyu-min tried to dissuade Hwang Jung-hoo.

“There’s a reason why orphanages like that haven’t been built before. If you gather that many people, you’ll need a lot of facilities. Just the kids who need to go to school will be over six hundred. Where are you going to accommodate them all?”

“Why can’t we?”

“Let’s be realistic. Just the fact that a large orphanage is being built nearby will cause a huge backlash from the local residents. They’ll complain about the property values dropping. And they won’t want the orphanage kids entering their schools in large numbers. If you try to appease all of that, you might not even be able to start.”

“Tsk, tsk, have you ever seen such a fool?”

“Pardon?”

“Hey, you idiot. Why do you need to send them to other schools? Like you said, there are six hundred students and we have money! Just build one!”

“…B-build one?”

“Yeah. What’s the biggest problem kids face when they go to school?”

The answer came from Kang Jin-ho.

“The way they’re seen.”

“That’s right. The way they’re seen as different, the way they’re seen as having no parents. That’s why the kids hate school and go astray.”

“Yes. That’s true.”

“Then let’s go the other way around. Build a school under the foundation’s name. And only let the kids from the orphanage attend. Since they’re all the same, there won’t be any discrimination.”

Cho Kyu-min stared at Hwang Jung-hoo with a blank face.

‘No, what kind of scale is this…’

He was just saying that Kang Jin-ho was making things too big, but his own scale was out of this world.

How could the conversation about building an orphanage turn into a conversation about building a school?

“If the same foundation runs both the school and the orphanage, the communication between the orphanage teachers and the school teachers will be better, and that will help the kids’ lives.”

Hwang Jung-hoo turned to Kang Jin-ho and said,

“Isn’t that what you said? To raise the kids properly.”

“…I don’t know about properly, but I want them to grow up without any discomfort.”

“That’s the same thing. This is the best way. There are actually many advantages to having a large number of kids.”

“Advantages?”

“Isn’t that why the orphanage teachers are having a hard time? They have to deal with teenagers in their puberty and young children mixed together, and they have to deal with kids running around and students who need to study.”

“That’s right.”

“But if there are more kids, you can classify them by grade and assign teachers accordingly. There are many ways to do it, but the basic framework doesn’t change. Then the kids will be more comfortable, and the staff will be more comfortable too. There’s no need for the teachers to worry about the kids’ meals like they do now. There will be a separate kitchen.”

“Oh, um…”

Cho Kyu-min scratched his head.

“This… it sounds like a big deal, but I don’t really understand it. Is it because it’s such an unheard-of concept?”

Cho Kyu-min laughed.

‘People are really different.’

It was an idea that Cho Kyu-min and Kang Jin-ho, who approached the issue with the idea of protecting and caring for the orphanage children, could never have come up with. To classify the children and assign teachers accordingly.

“Ah, this…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

Cho Kyu-min quickly hid his bewilderment.

‘This is a factory operation method.’

It was like switching from small-batch production of many products to large-batch production of a few products. To create a stable and non-discriminatory environment by pushing people through a systematic system…

“Won’t there be side effects?”

“It might feel less human.”

Hwang Jung-hoo chuckled and said,

“But that’s not a problem with the system. It’s a problem with the teachers. What needs to be prioritized is people. What you’re mistaken about is thinking that the children are the priority in an orphanage. The priority in an orphanage should be the teachers.”

“Pardon?”

“Think about the teachers in an orphanage. What kind of people are they?”

“They’re good people. Kind-hearted and dedicated.”

“That’s the problem.”

“…That’s the problem?”

Hwang Jung-hoo frowned.

“Idiots always miss the point. Why do they have to be good people?”

“Because they influence the children.”

“Hey, you idiot. If you give those people an annual salary of 100 million [approximately $75,000 USD], do you think they’re working there because they’re kind-hearted?”

Cho Kyu-min shut his mouth.

That didn’t seem likely. At that point, they would think it was a rational choice based on the high salary.

“The idea that the people working in orphanages are good people implies that they’re working there because they love the children, despite the low pay and excessive stress. That’s the reality. If you take that for granted, you’re doomed. If you want to provide a good environment for the children, you need excellent and outstanding teachers. Do you think you can hire those people with low pay? That’s a thief’s mentality!”

Cho Kyu-min stared at Hwang Jung-hoo with a look as if he had been hit.

Now, Cho Kyu-min could understand why Kang Jin-ho had asked Hwang Jung-hoo to work for him so desperately.

‘His way of thinking is completely different.’

It was clear now.

They definitely needed Hwang Jung-hoo’s power.